Editing Bryce Canyon National Park (section)

===Creation of the park===
[[Image:Bryce Canyon Lodge.jpg|right|thumb|[[Bryce Canyon Lodge]] was built between 1924 and 1925 from local materials]]
These scenic areas were first described to the public in magazine articles published by [[Union Pacific]] and [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe]] railroads in 1916.<ref name="Kiver1999p523"/> Forest Supervisor J. W. Humphrey among others promoted the scenic wonders of Bryce Canyon's amphitheaters, and by 1918 more articles helped to spark interest.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> However, poor access to the remote area and the lack of accommodations kept visitation to a bare minimum.

Ruby Syrett, Harold Bowman, and the Perry brothers later established lodging and "touring services".<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> Syrett later served as the first [[postmaster]]. By the early 1920s, the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] became interested in expanding [[Rail transportation in the United States|rail service]] into southwestern Utah to accommodate tourists.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

[[Image:Bryce Canyon visitors center.jpg|alt=Two story wood building next to flag pole with U.S. flag waving in the wind. Snow on the ground.|thumb|left|Visitor center in winter]]
[[Conservation (ethic)|Conservationists]] became alarmed by the damage overgrazing, logging, and unregulated visitation was inflicting on the canyon. A movement to protect the area soon started, and [[National Park Service]] Director [[Stephen Mather]] responded by proposing that Bryce Canyon be made into a state park. The governor of Utah and the [[Utah State Legislature]] lobbied for national protection. Mather relented and sent his recommendation to President [[Warren G. Harding]], who on June 8, 1923, established Bryce Canyon National Monument.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

A road was built the same year on the plateau to provide access to outlooks over the amphitheaters. From 1924 to 1925, [[Bryce Canyon Lodge]] was built from local timber and stone.<ref name="TheHoodoo_p5">{{Cite web |url=https://www.visitbrycecanyon.com/plan/park-history/ |title=Park History |publisher=Bryce Canyon Lodge |year=2023 |access-date=May 25, 2023 |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911072620/https://www.visitbrycecanyon.com/plan/park-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Members of the United States Congress started work in 1924 on upgrading Bryce Canyon's protection status from national monument to national park to establish Utah National Park.<ref name="TheHoodoo_p5" /> A process led by the [[Utah Parks Company]] for transferring ownership of private and state-held land to the federal government started in 1923.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> The last of the land was acquired four years later, and on February 25, 1928, Bryce Canyon National Park was established.<ref name="Kiver1999p524">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Kiver|1999|p=524}}</ref>

In 1931, President [[Herbert Hoover]] annexed an adjoining area south of the park, and in 1942 an additional {{convert|635|acres}} was added.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> This brought the park's total area to the ultimate {{convert|35835|acres}}.<ref name="Kiver1999p524"/> Rim Road, a scenic drive, was completed in 1934 by the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]]. Park administration was conducted from Zion National Park until 1956 when Bryce Canyon's first superintendent started work.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>